Synthesis of apicidin-derived quinolone derivatives: parasite-selective histone deacetylase inhibitors and antiproliferative agents.

Apicidin's indole was efficiently converted into a series of N-substituted quinolone derivatives by indole N-alkylation followed by a two-step, one-pot, ozonolysis/aldol condensation protocol. The new quinolones exhibited good parasite selectivity and potency both at the level of their molecular target, histone deacetylase, and in their whole cell antiproliferative activity in vitro.

Synthesis of nodulisporic acid 2' '-oxazoles and 2' '-thiazoles.

[reaction--see text] The semisynthetic conversion of nodulisporic acid A (1) into a set of three heterocyclic side chain derivatives provided compounds, highlighted by 6, with an improved spectrum of ectoparasiticidal activity and pharmacokinetic profile relative to the natural product.

Comparison of nodulisporic acid analogs in a Lucilia sericata in vitro assay and a Ctenocephalides felis membrane feeding system.

A medicinal chemistry program on the nodulisporic acid chemical class, guided by an artificial membrane flea-feeding assay, has recently identified permissive and nonpermissive regions of the pharmacophore for exploitation against fleas. This pathway was validated when several promising compounds from this program were administered orally to dogs at 15.0 mg/kg and found to have >90% flea activity for 2 wk. To determine if a surrogate insect assay would have provided the same guidance, a nodulisporic acid analog series was examined in both a Lucilia sericata larval assay and an artificial membrane flea-feeding assay using Ctenocephalides felis. Results from both insect assays were concordant in that even subtle chemical modification or substitution to the left-hand side of the nodulisporic acid pharmacophore resulted in substantial loss of insecticidal activity. Both assays were also in general agreement that the only modifications to the pharmacophore that did not result in loss of activity occurred to the C-8 side chain on the right-hand side of the molecule. Although there was good agreement between the 2 assays on the general regions of the pharmacophore, there was variance on individual compounds in the mono- and disubstituted amide series from the C-8 side chain. For example, the L. sericata assay showed several analogs from this subclass to possess similar activity to the parent acid, whereas the membrane assay indicated superior activity against fleas relative to the same parent. Consequently, although there was substantial general agreement between the assays, it was concluded that finer optimization of a lead compound should be done against the target parasite, even if it is ex vivo, as early as possible in a medicinal chemistry program.

Synthesis of key analogs of bleomycin A2 that permit a systematic evaluation of the linker region: identification of an exceptionally prominent role for the L-threonine substituent.

The synthesis of a full series of analogs 2b-k of deglycobleomycin A2 (2a) containing systematic variations in the linker domain of bleomycin A2 (1) is described. The agents 2b-k, which are not accessible through structural modification of 1 or 2a, constitute key substructure analogs incorporating deep-seated structural modifications in the linker domain capable of delineating the contribution of the individual backbone substituents to the DNA cleavage efficiency, characteristic DNA cleavage selectivity, and double strand to single strand DNA cleavage ratio. The comparative examination of the DNA cleavage properties of the Fe(II) and Fe(III) complexes of 2a-k upon activation by O2-thiol or H2O2, respectively, revealed several characteristic features and trends. First, none of the substituents affect the characteristic 5'-GC, 5'-GT > 5'-GA DNA cleavage selectivity of bleomycin A2. In contrast, an exceptionally prominent role for the L-threonine substituent and an important role for the C4-methyl substituent of the (2S,3S,4R)-4-amino-3-hydroxy-2-methylpentanoic acid subunit were observed on the DNA cleavage efficiency of the agents. Similarly, the L-threonine substituent was found to substantially increase the ratio of double strand to single strand DNA cleavage events (2-3 times). In a w794 DNA cleavage assay, shortening the linker region by two carbons resulted in an exceptionally large reduction in DNA cleavage efficiency (125 times) and provided an agent that was only 1.3 times more effective than Fe(III) indicating that this deep-seated modification essentially destroys the DNA cleavage capabilities of the agent. The L-threonine substituent contributes in an exceptional manner, and its removal resulted in a 25 times reduction in DNA cleavage efficiency. A substantial contribution was observed for the C4-methyl group on the 4-aminobutanoic acid subunit and its removal resulted in a 7 times reduction in DNA cleavage efficiency. Little effect for the C3-hydroxyl and C2-methyl substituents on the 4- aminobutanoic acid subunit was observed (0-2.5 times) and even their inversion of stereochemistry had little impact on DNA cleavage efficiency or selectivity. Notably, the magnitude of the previously unappreciated L-threonine substituent contribution to the DNA cleavage efficiency and on the ratio of double to single strand DNA cleavage events is the largest effect observed to date including the well recognized disaccharide potentiation (6 times) of the DNA cleavage properties. Consequently, the past role and relative importance of the L-threonine subunit and substituent has been underestimated. Moreover, the cumulative effect of the two important linker chain substituents clearly illustrate that the functional role of this domain is much more important than its simply serving as a linker.

Chemical modification of nodulisporic acid A: preliminary structure-activity relationships.

Medicinal chemistry efforts were initiated to identify the key constituents of the nodulisporic acid A (1) pharmacophore that are integral to its potent insecticidal activity. New semisynthetic derivatives delineated 1 into 'permissive' and 'nonpermissive' regions and led to the discovery of new nodulisporamides with significantly improved flea efficacy.

Apicidin: a novel antiprotozoal agent that inhibits parasite histone deacetylase.

A novel fungal metabolite, apicidin [cyclo(N-O-methyl-L-tryptophanyl-L -isoleucinyl-D-pipecolinyl-L-2-amino-8-oxodecanoyl)], that exhibits potent, broad spectrum antiprotozoal activity in vitro against Apicomplexan parasites has been identified. It is also orally and parenterally active in vivo against Plasmodium berghei malaria in mice. Many Apicomplexan parasites cause serious, life-threatening human and animal diseases, such as malaria, cryptosporidiosis, toxoplasmosis, and coccidiosis, and new therapeutic agents are urgently needed. Apicidin's antiparasitic activity appears to be due to low nanomolar inhibition of Apicomplexan histone deacetylase (HDA), which induces hyperacetylation of histones in treated parasites. The acetylation-deacetylation of histones is a thought to play a central role in transcriptional control in eukaryotic cells. Other known HDA inhibitors were also evaluated and found to possess antiparasitic activity, suggesting that HDA is an attractive target for the development of novel antiparasitic agents.

Broad spectrum antiprotozoal agents that inhibit histone deacetylase: structure-activity relationships of apicidin. Part 1.

Apicidin, a natural product recently isolated at Merck, inhibits both mammalian and protozoan histone deacetylases (HDACs). The conversion of apicidin, a nanomolar inhibitor of HDACs, into a series of side-chain analogues that display picomolar enzyme affinity is described within this structure-activity study.

Broad spectrum antiprotozoal agents that inhibit histone deacetylase: structure-activity relationships of apicidin. Part 2.

Recently isolated at Merck, apicidin inhibits both mammalian and protozoan histone deacetylases (HDACs). The conversion of apicidin, a nonselective nanomolar inhibitor of HDACs, into a series of picomolar indole-modified and parasite-selective tryptophan-replacement analogues is described within this structure-activity study.